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In past years, Martin Truex Jr. already might have begun to look ahead to next season.

Mired in 25th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings after 13 races, Truex’s chances for making the Chase for the Sprint Cup over the final 10 races would be highly unlikely. So he and his team would start trying some new things with their cars that they might be able to use for next season.

However, this season, NASCAR changed the format for qualifying to the Chase, placing a greater emphasis on winning.

As a result, Truex and other drivers have a different mindset. Those who have won can take some risks and try some things, knowing they likely are in the Chase. And those who haven’t won know they are just a victory away from salvaging their season.

“It’s definitely an interesting thing. It’s opened up a lot of options,” Truex said. “I feel like, as a racer and a team, it keeps you driving, keeps you pushing forward, because one good weekend could change everything.”

Previously, 12 drivers qualified for the Chase — the top 10 in points after Race No. 26 at Richmond and two wild cards.

Now, 16 drivers who win a race in the first 26 will make it.

So far there are 10 winners. Jimmie Johnson has won the last two races. Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick also have two wins each. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon have one win apiece.

This week’s Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway marks the beginning of the second half of the race to the Chase. Drivers who have not won are perhaps starting to feel a bit of pressure and urgency.

At this time last season, Matt Kenseth had three wins. But he still is searching for his first victory of 2014 even though he leads the point standings.

Kenseth said you can’t force winning. Simply saying, “We need a win,” isn’t going to get you one.

He feels his team has put him in position to win on several occasions with great pit stops and making the right adjustments. He just hasn’t been able to seal the deal.

“We just haven’t been quite good enough,” Kenseth said. “We just haven’t quite had the speed yet. So we’ll just keep working on it and hopefully keep putting together mistake-free races and putting ourselves in position and hopefully sooner or later it works out.”

Tony Stewart has at least one victory in each of his first 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons. Yet he is looking for his first win this season.

Stewart believes it is too early to start panicking. He said teams are still trying to learn their cars with the new rules package as they go to tracks for the first time.

“I think you get six to eight weeks before Richmond, then you start panicking if you don’t have that win,” said Stewart, who is 21st in the standings.

“You don’t have to be stellar in the points, you just have to get a win. Our track record shows that we can get it. It’s just a matter of when is it going to happen.”

Despite the emphasis on winning in the new Chase format, points still could be a determining factor.

Should there be fewer than 16 winners in the first 26 races, the remaining spots in the Chase will go to the winless drivers ranked highest in the standings. The points could also be used to break ties if there are more than 16 winners.

That is why Brian Vickers believes you can’t ignore the points. He is winless, but ranks 13th in the standings. If the Chase were to begin today, he would make it.

“Obviously, you know if you get a win, you don’t have to worry about it,” Vickers said. “Is it possible there’ll be more than 16 winners? Of course there is. Has it ever happened before in the history of the sport? No. So it’s likely that someone will get in on points.”

To be safe, though, the best way for a driver to punch his ticket to the Chase is to win.

Contact the writer:

swalsh@timesshamrock.com

@swalshTT on Twitter

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